Brussels, 31/07/2014 (Agence Europe) - Under a compromise reached on the evening of Wednesday 30 July, only EU vessels targeting shrimps and small pelagics in the territorial waters of Mauritania will be able to continue to fish in these waters until 15 December 2014. Vessels targeting tuna and demersal species will have to leave the waters of this country on 31 July.
Under the text of the protocol, the fishing agreement between the EU and Mauritania is set to expire on 15 December 2014. However, the Mauritanian authorities have a different interpretation of texts and are insisting that the EU fleet leave Mauritanian waters by 1 August 2014.
Under the agreement reached in Nouakchott, Mauritania agreed to EU fishing activities for a period of 24 months in the framework of the bilateral fisheries protocol, so that vessels targeting shrimps and small pelagics (which started in January 2013) will be able to continue their activities until 15 December 2014. However, EU vessels targeting tuna and demersal species since August 2012 for a transitional period must leave Mauritanian waters on 31 July.
Furthermore, the EU and Mauritania decided to continue talks with a view to reaching an agreement on a new protocol to the fishing agreement, “so as to allow the full EU fleet to resume their activities soon”, the European Commission states in a press release. The EU and Mauritania will meet in Brussels for a fourth round of talks to update this protocol. These negotiations, the Commission explains, will be based on the principles of the reformed common fisheries policy (CFP): sustainability of fish stocks, a better quality/price ratio in terms of access to the Mauritanian waters, improved transparency and non-discrimination between the EU fleet and fleets of other third countries.
The current fisheries partnership agreement between the EU and Mauritania allows 69 fishing vessels from seven countries of the EU to operate in Mauritanian waters, in return for financial assistance from the EU of €70 million a year. In order to renew and improve this protocol, the EU and Mauritania have held three rounds of talks since the beginning of May 2014. The last of these took place on 29-30 July, to bring the parties' opinions closer together. (LC)